Media Heroes

Media heroes are everywhere:

Journalists, activists, media innovators and educators making sure that we all have access to media that supports democratic values of justice, community and respect. Some media heroes are solitary voices keeping a candle of truth burning through a period of darkness. Others are organizers working to expand the range of people who can wield the power of publishing and broadcasting. or reveal hidden aspects of the media that is all around us.

1. Robert McChesney

Critical scholar, author, educator, media activist

Submitted by Craig Schroeder, Columbus OH: Bill Moyers described Bob McChesney as today's Paul Revere. More than anyone, it seems to me, McChesney has boiled his huge, scholarly understanding of the media we have today, and how it affects us, and how we got here, into certain key messages. Those key messages -- such as the idea that our media is a system created by policymakers and rich media owners, and it can be changed through democratic pressure -- are crucial to understanding power, media and democracy.

They're the messages that so many progressive journalists and political observers all over the place have picked up, expanded on from their own particular vantage points, and re-channelled back into the debate. They're the things you hear people say so often at the media reform conference.

People like Ben Bagdikian and I.F. Stone deserve a lot of credit, but I think McChesney, more than anyone, was the one who got these messages out to the people who then gave them the momentum and widespread dispersion they needed to set today's media reform ball rolling.
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Big Media Is In Control

Big isn't always bad -- unless you're talking about the companies that dominate our country's media. A handful of companies control most of what we see, hear and read every day. They own our TV stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, cable channels, movie studios, music labels -- even our favorite Internet sites. Unchecked consolidation means that Big Media are getting even bigger, giving these firms more control over our news and information. Bottom line? Big Media are bad news -- for all of us.
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Full-Body CT Scans

You've seen the full-page ads. Dozens of clinics nationwide are touting a new service for health-conscious people: full-body CT scans--high-tech computerized X-rays that promise early warnings for cancer, cardiac disease, and other abnormalities.
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How To Apply For Social Security and Retirement Benefits

Find out how to apply and when to apply for your Social Security benefits. Find out what information you will need to provide in order to apply for benefits and how to estimate your retirement benefits.
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Register for the National Do Not Call Registry

The National Do Not Call Registry gives you an opportunity to limit the telemarketing calls you receive. Once you register your phone number, telemarketers subject to the FTC's Telemarketing Sales Rule, must stop calling you. Most legitimate telemarketers respect the Registry and won't call a number on it. But scammers are willing to violate the Registry restrictions. If your number is on the Registry, be suspicious of any telemarketing calls, unless they are from companies with which you already do business or that are allowed to call under an exception to the rule.
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